Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon Chief Whip, hon MECs present here this morning, chairpersons of standing committees from provinces and permanent delegates, I am grateful for this moment to participate in this debate.
We have a history which was not environmentally user-friendly and we have a history of dispossession, and if we have a history of dispossession, not everybody would be engaged in environmental issues. We have a history where many people's roots were cut off, therefore they had to die a natural death in so far as environmental issues are concerned. What happens if one is dispossessed or one's property has been taken away? If such a person got a chance, he or she would damage that property, because it does not belong to him or her any longer.
How do we speedily make the dispossessed communities of South Africa aware of their very environment? That is why what we are debating today is extremely important. South Africa is a very beautiful country, seemingly with an endless coastline, majestic mountain ranges, abundant wildlife and unique natural resources that any South African would be proud of.
If one were to visit any of the provinces, one would find them falling over themselves, bragging about the unique beauty that they have to offer. Each of the provinces could be a potential first prize winner for being the best province in the country. Ensuring that such beauty and natural resources remain intact until the next millennium requires careful nurturing and protection. It is the enormous responsibility of both the Minister and all of us here to ensure that it remains this way.
Regarding the question of pollution, part of the challenge facing this department lies in changing people's attitudes towards the environment. The environment was never a priority before 1994. But this Government has realised that for far too long we have taken our environment for granted. I can safely say that the majority of South Africans have not yet realised the need for environmental protection and preservation. When I look around in my own province, in its cities, towns, industrial parks and rural areas, I see ample evidence that none of us takes the hazards of pollution seriously. Even if we change laws to ensure the protection of the environment, but do not educate ourselves about the need for preservation, we will be constantly wasting money cleaning up messes rather than preventing messes from occurring.
Pollution will never be excusable even if it happens in our own homes. But it becomes reprehensible when companies such as Iscor blatantly ignore the rights of residents to a pollution-free, healthy and prosperous neighbourhood. It is even more reprehensible when companies in this industry pay only lip service to the protection of the environment. This is definitely an issue the hon the Minister should follow up with vigour.
The Minister should extend his investigation even further and ask all companies to give an environmental impact report on a regular basis. Provinces and local government can also play their role by collaborating with the national department in eradicating these criminals parading in their three-piece suits. However, all of us, not only the Minister and his department, have to be vigilant in our neighbourhoods in order to reduce pollution.
The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has an enormous responsibility to deliver to our people, through transformational legislation. The select committee will give serious attention to the draft regulations that will protect the sensitive dunes, home to many species of birds. My Minister will also share with hon members the concern that if left unchecked, irresponsible boat owners could potentially threaten the breeding ground of whales. We also need to commend the Minister for following the example set by a small community which outlawed plastic bags in their town.
We support the Minister in the challenge he has given us here in Parliament to make this environment a plastic-free zone. We also look forward to the White Paper on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management for SA.
This department has also proved that it cares about what happens in the SADC region through the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development for SA which is due for release shortly or has already been released. We have all read with concern the reports on fishing quotas. Fishing communities have spoken out at length about the inequities within the fishing allocations. They have complained that they are now unable to earn their living because of the inequities in the fishing quotas. They have also complained about the fact that others players, such as the big industries that are far removed from the coastal areas, have been granted quotas higher than theirs. These communities have been led to understand that the department has investigated this matter so as to assist subsistence fishing communities to reap the benefits of the transformation of the fishing industry.
It is long overdue, but we have read in a recent newspaper report and seen on television news how a certain Ms Meter from Hout Bay was able to start her own fishing business in her very poor fishing community. We saw this woman's achievement as a very concrete example of the transformation that this department has realised in a very polarised industry. We want to congratulate the Minister on his efforts which have allowed our disadvantaged communities, such as the Hout Bay community, to benefit. We look forward to his department keeping us informed about more success stories of this nature.
Tourism has proved to be a booming industry for South Africa since the first democratic election in 1994. It seems that almost every day we are either discovering new historical or cultural sites, or rediscovering the natural beauty of our country. These discoveries, through survey marketing, can translate into enormous economic potential for our country. However, we must be vigilant that new tourist attraction projects benefit all our people. The last thing we need is for multinationals to gain exclusive marketing rights to all of our tourist attractions and elbow out local communities.
The department needs to spend some of its budget to develop capacity in our communities which will ensure that their goods and marketing are of the high quality needed to promote international tourism. In conclusion, I wish to thank the Minister and his department for the excellent work that they have done. We look forward to working with them to ensure that all South Africans have a better, pollution-free life, part of which, we hope, will be spent at one of our many beautiful holiday destinations. [Applause.]
Thank you, Madam Chair, for giving me this opportunity to participate in this important debate.
As an ANC Government we have been given a second chance by the overwhelming majority of our people to further deepen the process of transformation, particularly the question of economic transformation. Guided by the RDP framework and Gear principle, I am convinced that we will not fail our people. We dare not fail in our noble cause.
Already, the past six years traversed by the democratic Government bear testimony to our unwavering commitment to the betterment of the lives of our people. We have managed within a short space of time to turn around an economy heading towards a meltdown into one that is geared towards an economic growth path. It is within this spirit that, as a democratic Government, we continue to seek viable economic options aimed at enhancing economic growth and development.
The realisation of tourism as one of the vehicles that could be utilised to spur economic growth that would lead to economic development is not accidental. It is the product of difficult policy choices and extensive research work carried out by the democratic Government. I might as well add that tourism is not only an engine of economic growth and development, but also a source of employment.
Failure to expedite this process would undoubtedly undermine our good intentions. Therefore, the restructuring of this industry must ensure that the racial demographics of this country are equitably reflected.
Another issue that calls for attention is funding. We can develop wonderful strategies, comprehensive implementation programmes and well-packaged projects, but if we are not going to direct enough financial resources into this industry, we are definitely doomed to failure.
The issue of capacity-building, which the disadvantaged people desperately need in order to make a meaningful contribution to this industry and to get projects off the ground, requires financial assistance.
In conclusion, as the Mpumalanga province, we wish to see more resources pumped into the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, considering that tourism is currently the only industry that is better placed to address the issues of economic growth, job creation and delivery of basic needs to our people. Although as a province we have developed tourism plans, we require resources. [Applause.]
Mrs C M CRONJ (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson, I will confine my comments to tourism because my colleague from KwaZulu-Natal, MEC Singh, will deal with the environmental aspects.
When one reads the aim of this department, it becomes clear just how appropriate it is to combine environmental affairs and tourism in one department. The aim is stated as follows: ``Leading environmental management and tourism in the interest of sustainable development for all.''
Environmental management and tourism go hand in hand. In fact, one could say that a clean, healthy environment in South Africa is the sine qua non, that is, it is the essential precondition, for a healthy tourism industry in the country. We should always remember that tourists perform a voluntary activity. Thus, tourists will only visit a particular destination if they have a reasonable prospect of having a pleasant experience at that destination; tourists cannot be forced to go to a particular destination; tourists cannot be penalised for not going to a particular destination; tourists will not visit a destination that is polluted, degraded and harmful to their health or wellbeing; tourists will not go to a destination they perceive to be unsafe and tourists expect the residents of the host destination to be friendly and helpful. In short, tourists will only go to a particular place or country if they can expect to have a safe, pleasant and aesthetically satisfying experience at that destination, without plastic bags - I direct this to the Minister.
When the department expounds on its main aim by stating that it wants to lead and ensure the development of responsible tourism for the benefit of all the people of South Africa, we need to ask ourselves whether we would come to South Africa if we were international tourists. And if not, why not? And if we were domestic tourists, which we all potentially are, where would we go, and where not, and what are the reasons for that?
What I am asking in essence is: How good is our product and how good is our marketing? Which areas can we improve on to make South Africa a first-class destination for the benefit of all the people of South Africa?
A lot has been said about tourism being used for job creation. Now, the reason that these questions are of such fundamental importance is that it is generally acknowledged that tourism can, in fact, be a major generator of wealth in the country. However, it is also of fundamental importance that that wealth does not only benefit the same people who have benefited historically, and I am very grateful for the comments that the Minister has made in that regard.
Tourism can be a powerful tool for economic empowerment, but we must take care that we do not continue to empower the already empowered, because one then gets into the spiral of the rich getting richer, and the poor getting poorer. It is imperative that tourism contributes in a meaningful way to the alleviation of poverty in South Africa. Therefore, as Government, we have an obligation to ensuring that new entrants into the tourism industry have the necessary access to capital and the required support, training and mentoring to become successful entrepreneurs.
Capital and skills development are fundamental to ensuring that the tourism industry does not only provide jobs to employees of big operators, welcome as that may be, but that it is possible for new entrants to break into that tightly-controlled market.
Tourism has, for many years, been considered an elitist pastime. In fact, that is exactly what it was, and what it still is, to a large extent. And unless we become very creative and imaginative in our thinking, that is what it will continue to be. For instance, why do we not make a far greater effort to ensure that every child who has not been to a game reserve visits one before the end of the year? Can we not find a way to ensure that every child who has not seen the sea sees it before the end of the year 2000?
Let us encourage owners of big tourist plants to become involved in giving opportunities to poor people to visit them at reduced rates or even for free, as part of their social obligation. This could be done during the off- season when many beds are empty, in any event.
But of course, there are also many South Africans who have the means to travel and to become tourists in their own country who, for a variety of reasons, do not do so. We can think of the historical restrictions on the movement of people. How good is our research on this market sector, and how good is our marketing to attract them?
Turning to the actual Tourism budget, it is, indeed, heartening to see that this budget has nearly doubled - that is called putting one's money where one's mouth is.
So, in conclusion, I would like to say more strength to the Minister's arm - he is doing a marvellous job. When he spoke on the Tim Modise show yesterday morning, I wanted to phone in, but I thought it would be much nicer to say that to him in person today.
Finally, I invite all those members who do not come from KwaZulu-Natal to visit the province because it is definitely the most beautiful province and the best tourist destination. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members of the House, the strategic approach of the Northern Cape Department of Economic Affairs and Tourism is guided by the national priorities of job creation and economic growth, poverty alleviation, transformation of the tourism industry and the creation of a better living environment.
The Northern Cape is the largest province in South Africa and has a special charm of its own. Travelling over long distances through a rugged and sparsely populated countryside painted with rock art by the San has served to bring many back to earth and remind them of their place in the universe. It has been discovered that tourism is one of the fastest-growing industries, and continues to expand at a rate faster than the global economy. In the area of job losses, it does become our responsibility to ensure that tourism promotion and development is given our fullest commitment.
Satour has calculated that 5% of foreign tourists visited the Northern Cape, spending almost R3,9 million. Whilst this is a welcome contribution to the provincial economy, it is our intention to increase both the percentage of foreign tourists visiting the Northern Cape, and the amount of money that they spend in the province.
The Northern Cape has a negligible share of the domestic travel market. The domestic tourism market makes up a significantly large proportion of the total tourism market. I believe it is time the rest of South Africa discovered the rich heritage of the Northern Cape. Let us not forget that it was the diamonds of the now famous Kimberley big hole that funded the exploitation of the Witwatersrand gold fields and the subsequent industrialisation of South Africa. Whilst the rest of South Africa's town and cities were shrouded in darkness, the streets of Kimberley were lit by electric lamps, the first in South Africa. The first electric tram was found in Kimberley. Today there is still a working tram operating between the city centre and the Kimberley museum.
Africa's first transfrontier park, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, is partly situated in the Northern Cape. This 3 million-hectare park straddles South Africa and Botswana, making it even bigger than the Kruger National Park, and giving our people opportunities for job creation and economic development. The greater challenge, however, is to ensure that our historically disadvantaged communities, both in Botswana and South Africa, benefit from this process that has been launched recently.
The tourism vision of the Northern Cape is to promote and develop our tourism in an economically effective, environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable manner, whilst developing the province as a leading niche market destination.
The Northern Cape is in full support of the national Government's policy that states that tourism will be private-sector driven, but Government led; and that tourism will be used as a development tool for the empowerment of previously neglected communities by focusing investment, infrastructure, development and improvement in visitor management programmes in underdeveloped areas with proven tourism potential. In order to diversify the product base, we need to remove bottlenecks and distribute resources. This policy will ensure that, in the words of Minister Moosa, ``No stone is left unturned in the quest to unlock the full potential of tourism.''
The Northern Cape applauds the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism for the number of initiatives it has launched and for working together with all stakeholders to grow the benefits that the country derives from domestic, regional and international tourism. The Northern Cape is completely grateful for the poverty relief programme of the department and is confident that its application for tourism infrastructural projects will be approved. The hon the Minister will notice that I am a little bit opportunistic about that. [Laughter.] These projects are essential if local, provincial and national Government are to achieve the full potential of tourism. It is only with collective resources and effort that we will achieve our goal of a better life for all.
We support the Minister's campaign to rid our society of harmful waste and to protect our environment. Douglas, a small town in the Northern Cape, has taken this campaign very seriously by outlawing plastic bags and producing cotton bags. Therefore, I think we need to encourage such initiatives in our communities to ensure that we protect our environment and create wealth for our people. The Northern Cape, therefore, is in full support of the Budget Vote for the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister and hon Deputy Minister, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to say something about my province in this august House.
In terms of the published market survey carried out by Satour the characteristics and tourism performance of the Northern Province in relation to its neighbouring provinces and its overall performance are the following. The Northern Province is a large and diversely populated province, with an extremely low gross geographic product. Tourism makes up a higher percentage of its GDP than that of any of the neighbouring provinces. Of the total of nearly 1,5 million international arrivals in South Africa in 1996, only 4,5% visited the Northern Province, and its share of income from overseas visitors was estimated at only 2,3%.
In 1997 international tourist arrivals were estimated at 98 000. The province has 71% of all game lodges in South Africa, comprising over 2 000 lodges with 6 000 rooms and nearly 13 000 beds, and it also comprises 40% of the 404 hunting venues in the country, with 2 553 beds.
Tourism is a people-delivered activity and thus an intensive creator of jobs. The World Travel and Tourism Organisation states that tourism is one of the largest creators of direct and indirect employment worldwide. This same impact is apparent today from the South African satellite account, with 250 000 jobs in the travel and tourism industry, and nearly 740 000 in the broader economy whose livelihood depends on the tourism sector.
Over the next decade it is estimated that there is the potential of an additional 175 000 new jobs in the industry and more than 500 000 across the economy, and that, optimistically, there will be an additional 800 000 new jobs in the economy at large. The figures mentioned above show the impact and the future of tourism in South Africa, while 54% of all the totals are, and will be, the impact of tourism in the Northern Province.
The tourist attractions of the Northern Province reside not only in its diverse natural scenery and wildlife, but also in its diversity of cultures, friendly people, and in their unique traditions, legends and history, which make this place unique. The contrasts of its diverse natural features vary from the Waterberg and the Bushveld, the Lowveld, subtropical areas of the Northern Drakensberg and Soutpansberg catchments, to the dry mopani and baobab tree-studded parkland north of the Soutpansberg, and to the Limpopo.
Geographically its location is strategic as it is South Africa's gateway to the rest of Africa, sharing borders with three neighbouring countries. The warm climate makes the Northern Province a pleasant year-round holiday destination.
There are five major cultures in the province, and a rich history which may interest visitors. Traditional arts and crafts, and singing and dancing all form part of the everyday lifestyle of the people. Apart from everyday dancing, there are dances for special occasions, such as the rain dance of the Modjadji, and the tshikona, malende and domba of the Vha Venda.
Even the numerous fruit stalls decorating the roadsides are part of the culture. History, legends and superstitions add colour and a dimension of mystique to the traveller's experience.
The area known as Venda, which means ``pleasant land'', is particularly famous for all the legends and superstitions of the Vha Venda who stay there, which gave cause for it to become known as the land of legend. Certain cultures have a special fascination for visitors, because of their uniqueness, such as that of the Modjadji - the Lobedu tribe, staying in the mountainous Bolobedy near Duiwelskloof and ruled by successive generations of rain queens with their mysterious rain-making powers.
Many people living in the traditional rural areas throughout the province still stay and live in the traditional way, some virtually unaffected by the technology of our time, such as the Maleboho tribe who stay on the Blouberg. However, these areas are not freely accessible to visitors.
A few examples of traditional villages, presented as open-air museums, portraying the traditional lifestyles of different ethnic cultures, exist in the province. These examples include the Bakone Malapa, a Pedi kraal, at Pietersburg; a Tsonga kraal in the Hans Marensky Nature Reserve; and the Masorini in the Kruger National Park near Phalaborwa.
Ruins of historical settlements occur throughout the province, but some, such as Dzata in Venda - which also has a museum, the museum of the drum - are better known, the history being well known and accessible to visitors.
Archeological sites of special significance occur at Mapungubwe in the Vhembe/Douza National Park on the Limpopo River, and also at the Makapans Cave in the Strydpoort mountains near Potgietersrus. Rock art occurs in abundance, especially in the Waterberg area. Examples can be seen in the Masebe Nature Reserve ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister and hon delegates of the Council, I indeed appreciate the privilege of addressing this august House. I will confine myself to the environment, as the hon member of the Northern Province legislature has already spoken about tourism. Regarding the environment and quality of life, there is an ongoing debate regarding quality of life and poverty alleviation. It is something that we debate continually, and I would urge the Minister and his department to come out clearly on the issue of biospheres.
Biospheres seem to be spreading everywhere within our country, and yet there seems to be a focus on land ownership where there should be a focus on poverty alleviation. We would urge the Minister to come out on that particular issue. However, I have been mandated by the standing committee of the legislature to talk particularly on solid waste management.
We would like to start by considering the lack of personnel in the environment department. There are only two appointed members for waste management, while 17 posts are recognised. This may sound as if nothing is being done in the waste fraternity. However, an audit has been done and a needs assessment has been concluded. The outcome indicates blatantly that what is needed is empowerment. Most waste management is done at a local government level. In a province like ours, which is very rural, the management of solid waste may be problematic if clear lines of communication are not established between local government and provincial government.
Owing to the ruralness of our province, as I have mentioned, and to small villages spread amongst vast areas, numbering 2000, it has been suggested that a collective solid waste site would be necessary. These particular sites would have to be identified by scientists, and local governments would have to manage these landfill sites. Here, again, we refer to empowerment. We cannot have landfill sites without particular councils having the ability to manage them.
Our limiting factor is the lack of personnel at rural government level. However, with the new demarcation and the establishment of district councils, this shortage of personnel may be resolved to a point, but empowerment should still be the focus of the department, empowerment in the management of solid waste and landfill sites by local rural governments.
With the assistance of its scientists, the department is currently empowering the inspectorate division regarding waste management and what the current legal framework stipulates. This means the inspectorate division will know what constitutes transgression of the law concerning solid waste, and act accordingly. We must place the emphasis regarding solid waste management on the issue of empowerment. We must ensure that personnel dealing with this crucial service know what they are up to.
The selection of a correct landfill site is crucial owing to leaching, and leaching from rain. Should the incorrect soil be chosen, we could be condemning our ground water, and what with this source becoming more and more accessed by local governments, we must ensure that solid waste issues are dealt with correctly, thereby ensuring that there is clean potable water for future generations.
There is no doubt that both tiers of government have a role to play. Where there is a lack of strategy in this regard, the provincial department must and should assist in establishing a strategy. One method suggested is to engage local governments and councillors, in particular, to discuss waste management and the consequences of noncompliance.
The biggest amount of waste created in our country, as far as we are concerned, is packaging, packaging meaning tin cans and plastic bags. Whether it be a plastic bag or a tin can, the packaging industry is definitely the biggest culprit in the creation of waste. When one thinks of recycling, those who make the primary products, who make the plastic bags and cans, are also the ones who recycle. One would hasten to add, the recyclers are the Mondis, the Sappis and the Metal Boxes of the country. Hence, the slowness of communities to become vigilant regarding recycling.
Recycling, surely, should be seen as a job creator. However, those who are the major role-players in the recycling industry, as mentioned, do not see this as an opportunity, but rather as a threat to their profit margins. Let us create opportunities in the recycling industry, and, at the same time, protect our environment for our future generations.
The Northern Province therefore supports the hon the Minister and his department in the current policy adopted by his department. [Applause.]
Chairperson, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, it surely is a privilege to be the Minister of these two portfolios, for they smell of potential and vibrate with success and challenges.
Although South Africa attracts only 0,2% of the annual estimated 300 million tourists in the world, they bring an estimated R20 billion a year into our economy. Although we have had a 40% growth in foreign arrivals since 1994, it is clear that we have only started. We have not even started with really developing the Africa tourist industry, and this is exciting. With all this excitement and enthusiasm, the hon the Minister must also be cautioned not to be seduced by the many new possible ventures while turning a blind eye to what already exists.
Let me give hon members an example. I understand that investigations are under way to look at the Kei River area as a possible national park for the Eastern Cape. I do not understand this, because very close to this area are three very neglected and ignored parks. What is needed is for them to be formed into one national park. I am referring to the Ciskei Park, the Andre Vosloo Kudu Reserve and the Sam Knott Nature Reserve. The latter 14 farms of the Sam Knott Reserve were donated to the province. There is thus no need to start from scratch, or to buy additional land. It is all there just for the taking by the Minister.
This also poses an ideal situation in which to engage the private sector as in the case of the Kruger National Park and the other parks. Let the people who know the business and whose business it is to develop, manage and market such tourist attractions do it. The Minister and his department have many other loose strings that need tightening, and we will refer to them later on. This suggestion of the proposed expansion of the Addo Elephant National Park will have so much to offer the tourists and the environment.
Ek wil vandag eer betoon aan 'n persoon wat teen die einde van verlede jaar die Internasionale Biobeleidsorganisasie se -``Eerste Bioprys vir die nuwe Millennium'' ontvang het vir ongewenaarde prestasie op omgewingsgebied. Dr Anton Rupert van Suid-Afrika het hierdie welverdiende erkenning ontvang. Wat die toekenning nog meer merkwaardig maak, is die visie van dr Rupert met die bevordering en totstandbrenging van die wreld se eerste oorgrens- vredesparke, waarvan die Kgalagadi, soos my agb kollega hier genoem het, die heel eerste was. Hierdie konsep skep nie net moontlikhede vir die verwesenliking van ons president Mbeki se Afrika-renaissancedroom nie, maar het ook die wreld se verbeelding aangegryp. Daar is pas 'n soortgelyke park aangekondig tussen onder meer Macedoni, Griekeland en Albani. Daar word verder gekyk na die potensiaal van 'n park tussen Frankryk, Luxemburg en Duitsland, en ook tussen Oostenryk en Hongarye. Dit is wonderlik dat ons die voortou neem met die bevordering van waardes om 'n selfonderhoudende samelewing te verseker. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Today I want to pay tribute to a person who at the end of last year received the International Bio-policy Organisation's ``First Bio Prize for the new Millennium'' for unequalled achievements with regard to the environment. Dr Anton Rupert from South Africa received this well-deserved award. What makes the award even more remarkable, is Dr Rupert's vision with the promotion and introduction of the world's first cross-border peace parks, of which the Kgalagadi, as my colleague here mentioned, was the very first.
This concept does not only create possibilities for the realisation of our President Mbeki's dream of an African renaissance, but has also gripped the world's imagination. Recently a similar park has been announced between, inter alia, Macedonia, Greece and Albania. Furthermore, investigations are under way into the potential of a park between France, Luxemburg and Germany, and also between Austria and Hungary. It is wonderful that we are taking the lead in the promotion of values to ensure a self-sustaining society.]
It is, however, a fact that everything overall is not as good as it seems, as reflected in the World Wildlife Foundation's Living Planet campaign report that was released in September last year. It states that South Africa generates 8,5 tons of carbon dioxide per person per year, which is almost as bad as Western Europe's 8,6 tons.
Planet earth relies upon her forests to suck up the carbon dioxide and to turn it back into oxygen and carbon, but South Africa has already lost about 73% of its forests.
Di situasie moet gehanteer word, en daarom word die Minister se oorlog teen besoedeling verwelkom, maar wat gaan gedoen word met die steenkool by Witbank, wat steeds brand en gasse in die lug vrystel, en wat word beoog vir die bekamping van lugbesoedeling in die algemeen? Het die agb Minister die kapasiteit om lugbesoedeling, die storting van gifstowwe in riviere en die see en besoedeling in die algemeen te moniteer en te reguleer? Ek sien dit nie gereflekteer in sy begroting nie. Hoewel die agb Minister sterk uitsprake maak oor die groot sondaars van besoedeling, is hy baie versigtig oor die miljoene klein oortreders. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[This situation must be dealt with, and for that reason the Minister's war against pollution is welcomed, but what is going to be done with the coal at Witbank, which is still burning and releasing gases into the air, and what is envisaged for the combating of air pollution in general? Does the hon the Minister have the capacity to monitor and regulate air pollution, the dumping of poisonous substances in rivers and the sea, and pollution in general? I do not see this reflected in his budget. Although the hon the Minister makes strong statements about the big perpetrators of pollution, he is very careful about the millions of small offenders.]
We have accepted the fact that shoplifting is a crime but littering is also a crime. He who litters, and it does not matter how much litter it is, whether it is a factory dumping masses of waste, or the driver of a car or a taxi throwing an empty can out of the window, or a kid throwing gum or a piece of paper on the pavement, or a smoker leaving a stompie on the driveway, that person is committing a crime. It should be regarded as an offence because that individual is not only stealing from the taxpayer who has to pay millions to tidy up this mess, but he or she is also stealing the beauty of the country and, with that, stealing the good experiences of our country's tourists and also stealing a better life for all.
I acknowledge the Minister's educational project and his own involvement, but let us fast-track the process and discipline the offenders, for littering is a crime.
Die agb Minister is nou al byna 'n jaar in die portefeulje en hy het reeds talle goeie ondernemings gegee en ook self die voorbeeld gestel. Hy het ook al sekere optredes begin implementeer, maar die tyd vir verskonings oor die chaos in die visbedryf is nou verby. Daar is verskeie sake oor die visbedryf wat die Minister vandag toegelig het, en ons is dankbaar vir die stappe wat in die vooruitsig gestel word en vir die aanstelling van mnr Kleinschmidt, maar ons sal ons taak versaak as ons nie net op die volgende wys nie.
Die geskarrel in die bedryf is vererger toe besluit is om mense wat voorheen nie toegang tot die bedryf gehad het nie, te bevoordeel. Nou is dit juis hulle en veral die gevestigde vissers wat moet ly. Daar is mense wat geslagte lank al vissers is, wat net die see ken, maar wat sonder werk sit, terwyl daar steeds mense bevoordeel word wat seesiek word as hulle 'n skuit op die see sien. Ons weet mos van die handel in papierkwotas wat die Minister nou s aangepak gaan word, maar hierdie chaos veroorsaak dat stropery hoogty vier. Die Minister kan net sowel die regulasies en beperkings ophef, want die stropers steur hulle nie daaraan nie. Dit lyk egter ook of die Minister nie genoeg tyd daaraan spandeer nie. [Tyd verstreke.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[The hon the Minister has now been in the portfolio for nearly a year and he has already given numerous good undertakings and has set a good example. He has also already begun implementing certain activities, but the time for excuses about the chaos in the fishing industry is now over. There are various issues regarding the fishing industry which the Minister highlighted today, and we are grateful for the steps envisaged and for the appointment of Mr Kleinschmidt, but we would be neglecting our duty if we did not just point out the following.
The scrabbling in the industry was exacerbated when a decision was taken to favour people who did not previously have access to the industry. Now it is precisely them and the established fishermen in particular who have to suffer. There are people who have been fishermen for generations, who only know the sea, but who are unemployed, while there are still people being favoured who become seasick if they see a boat on the sea. Of course we know about the trade in paper quotas which the Minister has now said will be addressed, but this chaos leads to poaching being the order of the day. The Minister may just as well abolish the regulations and restrictions, because the poachers do not pay attention to them. However, it would appear that the Minister does not spend enough time on this. [Time expired.]]
Chairperson, hon Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, hon MECs and hon members, it gave me pleasure to listen to the hon the Minister's address and to all the speakers before me.
Echoing some of them, I wish to mention the following on behalf of my party, the IFP, and also my province, the kingdom of Kwazulu-Natal. After six years of talking, I want to ponder the question of what marks or percentage we should give to ourselves in this respect. I honestly believe that we only deserve two out of 10 or approximately 20%. Why? Firstly, we need tourism to halt inflation, beat crime, create jobs and boost the rand. Secondly, crime is rampant, joblessness is rising, inflation is on the rise, day after day, and interest rate hikes are threatening. The borrowers are soon going to have sleepless nights, being strangulated by bond rates and so forth.
We do not need to wait for a catastrophe similar to that in Zimbabwe to happen in South Africa, our beloved country. We do not have to wait for what occurred in Congo or Rwanda to occur in South Africa. Tourism is a lifeline. We need to resuscitate the economy in this country. It is very sad that we are failing ourselves in this regard. We need it now. This must be the highest priority, and anyone who harms a tourist or creates negative publicity to keep away tourists should be seen as committing a serious crime against the state.
Each and every province, I believe, has several resources that could attract tourist attention in a big way. Unfortunately, a lot of these resources are not developed. When I think of the province that I come from, the kingdom of KwaZulu-Natal, I can name just a few of these. Firstly, close to my birthplace, there is a natural tunnel in a rocky place which is one kilometre long. It is one of the wonders of creation and is known as Ezinkonjeni. Secondly, the largest stone in Kranskop, known as iTshe likaNtunjambili, has had several places named after it because of its existence. The town itself Kranskop was named because of this rock. Thirdly, some places have warm water which are known as warm baths and are not well-developed enough to attract tourists in their numbers.
Environmental Affairs and Tourism should do a community diagnosis in each province to identify these places which have such a rich potential to attract tourists. This is just food for thought for the department and also for all members who serve in this portfolio in all provinces.
Every segment of society should be putting up a welcome sign for tourists. Every city, every region, every district and every province should make the promotion of tourism its highest priority. Provinces that do well should get a bonus budget supplement. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon members, the main objectives of the environmental affairs programmes are to ensure the conservation of biodiversity and to protect the environment through the ecologically sustainable, economically efficient and socially equitable use of the environment in the Eastern Cape.
This is in line with the destiny of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism as depicted in the budget presented by the hon the Minister. Of the nine provinces the Eastern Cape is currently the third most popular summer holiday destination for domestic tourists and the fifth most popular winter holiday destination for foreign tourists from southern Europe, with the majority of visitors coming from the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
A tourism indaba was held late last year with the intention of bringing together all role-players to identify critical issues pertaining to the province, especially where these hinder growth in tourism. We managed to develop a way forward which will be easily monitored and evaluated. This is the task of the Eastern Cape Tourism Board, as they are the ring leaders in tourism.
The role of the provincial government is to formulate policies conducive to prosperity in tourism. This may be achieved by developing further our draft Green Paper on Tourism into at least a White Paper. It will also play a facilitating role by devising mechanisms for safety and security, providing incentives for the private sector to invest in tourism and providing assistance to emerging entrepreneurs.
Local government is responsible for land-use planning in urban and rural areas, the provision and maintenance of tourist service sites and attractions, the marketing and promotion of local attractions, the provision of road signage and facilitating the participation of our local communities.
Currently, interaction with other provinces is minimal. However, the national Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and members of the South African tourism industry convene meetings and co-ordinate issues, thus making it possible for an exchange of ideas on issues of common interest.
This province had a well-established commercial fishing sector worth about R566 million in 1997. The economic potential of inshore or coastal living marine resources is, however, underdeveloped and offers significant potential to improve the livelihoods of coastal communities in the Eastern Cape. Outside of the coastal cities and towns, the coastal economy is essentially nature-based, and comprised of agriculture, tourism, fishing and mariculture.
Sustainable environmental management and development support to these sectors is essential for economic development. Sustainable resource utilisation support to these sectors is essential, for economic benefit is currently threatened by weak environmental management and noncompliance, for example poaching, a lack of institutional support for economic development based on these resources, poor institutional co-ordination and a lack of strategic sector development planning.
Under apartheid commercial access to marine resources was denied to black South Africans, and a clear policy to develop coastal communities based on marine resources did not exist. Policies to address the imbalances of the past and to promote sustainable resource utilisation are contained in the Marine Living Resources Act, 1998, and the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development.
These policies create opportunities for the development of coastal communities and the coastal economy. However, delivery on the goals of this Act has been limited due to a lack of policy on strategies for implementation. In particular, policy on the roles of various Government departments and institutions is lacking.
The economic growth potential of the Eastern Cape living marine resources is substantial. Opportunities include the development of small-scale entrepreneurs from coastal communities and optimising the benefits of our natural endowment to promote tourism, and the associated job-creation opportunities. The wellbeing and sustainability of living marine resources is essential to the growth of tourism. Mariculture is an undeveloped opportunity that requires commitment to technological development and transfer. The sustainability of the economic potential of the endowment of living marine resources in the Eastern Cape province is threatened by poor environmental management, noncompliance, poaching and a lack of institutional support for development based on these resources.
Yiyo loo nto sivuya namhlanje xa uMphathiswa esixelela ukuba kukho abantu abazizigidi ezine abahlala kufutshane nonxweme, izityebi, ooSambuntsuntsu bezityebi, kwakunye nabo bahlwempuzeke ngeyona ndlela. Sibe novuyo ngale ntsasa xa simva esithi iSebe lizimisele ukuyilungisa loo nto. (Translation of Xhosa paragraph follows.)
[That is why we are happy today when the hon the Minister tells us that there are four million people staying along the coast, rich people at that, whose wealth is immeasurable, as well as those who are very poor. We were very happy this morning to hear that the Department is determined to correct this anomaly.]
Policy and strategy in the form of sector development plans are required in order to create the necessary framework and institutional support for optimising the economic potential of the province's living marine resources.
Xa ndigqibezela [In conclusion], we have no doubt that the challenges ahead of us are both complex and immense, but we believe that the holistic approach that we have adopted will work for the Eastern Cape. [Applause.]
Chairperson, I want to congratulate the Minister on his budget speech. Gauteng will be supporting him.
We particularly want to congratulate him on the excellent work that he is doing in tourism. That issue will be addressed by the other special delegate from Gauteng, Sheila Weinberg.
The complexity of this portfolio makes it, I am sure, a very challenging and interesting one for the Minister. There is a very complex set of issues relating to the interdependency of tourism and the environment. He has shown particular initiative and we want to congratulate him on the energy that he has brought to this portfolio. As he has told the House today, he has taken very active steps to extend to areas that are committed to conservation in this country.
Recently I heard him say, and I think that he is completely correct, that never in the history of this country has there been so much attention given to extending the conservation status of land across the length and breadth of the country.
With the support of the Deputy Minister, he has consistently taken our commitments very seriously and entered into international protocols. This has seen South Africa increasingly become a very important player and take leadership positions in the debates, and international conventions and structures that lead to those protocols.
We also want to congratulate him today on the launch of his White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development and for the principles that are contained within that document. We need to balance stewardship and caring for our very valuable and beautiful coastline with the opportunities and benefits that those resources can bring in a socially responsible way.
The Minister is most famous, at the moment, for his war against the national flower of the plastic bag. I will be talking a little bit more about that later in my speech.
My main concern, and the subject that I will restrict myself to in my comments in this debate, is the issue of the environment. This is Environment Week; yesterday we celebrated World Environment Day.
I do not think that there is anyone in this House who needs to be reminded that there are very serious consequences for our resources in terms of the exploitative patterns of the past. Massive environmental degradation has taken place across the length and breadth of the country, but particularly in those areas where there has been mining, agricultural and industrial activity. It has very serious consequences for all of us in terms of a degraded and polluted environment and also in terms of the way that our resources have been exploited and depleted.
The Minister faces several key challenges and those challenges, for me, can be summarised in terms of how he takes forward our national and constitutional commitments to sustainable development in a way in which we mainstream that, so that the responsibility for sustainable development is not seen as his alone or that of particularly related environmental ministries.
Environmental concerns should be mainstreamed in our housing and health policies and the development of infrastructure in our local governments, thereby including all our parliamentarians, our chairpersons of portfolio committees and everyone who participates in decision-making around the development of infrastructure, so that they deeply understand the environmental consequences of the decisions that they are taking. So the first challenge to the Minister is to see that environmental concerns and the viability of our country for the following generations are mainstreamed across development in all Government portfolios.
The second area in which I believe that the Minister has enormous responsibility - and people have spoken very eloquently about that today - is in the field of educating the public about the importance of our environmental commitments. Rev Moatshe spoke about a history of dispossession and the reality that so many South Africans live in deeply degraded environments, and where the opportunities to appreciate and enjoy the beauty that we have all spoken about so eloquently is not the experience of the majority of South Africans, but the experience of the visitors that we bring to this country. It is our responsibility to increase access so that people begin to understand much more meaningfully what it is that we are cherishing in our conservation areas.
In Gauteng we have been working with the Gauteng Institute of Curriculum Development to prepare learning materials for teachers and students in all schools in Gauteng, to ensure that environmental education becomes a very deep part of the curriculum experiences of children in Gauteng. I will be returning to the issue of public understanding again and again in the other issues that I raise.
The third responsibility, in addition to mainstreaming and educating, is the responsibility that I believe that the Minister holds centrally in co- ordinating intergovernmental and interministerial relations in terms of environmental matters. We are all aware that the National Environmental Management Act gave him the authority to establish the committee on environmental co-ordination. I feel very strongly that the responsibility that he must take in leading that committee is to ensure that the possible existing fragmentation of environmental responsibilities across the different affected Ministries is effectively managed by the person who holds the portfolio responsible for the environment in this country.
Clearly those environmental responsibilities constitutionally cut across both local, provincial and national government. But I am particularly concerned about the environmental consequences of previous mining activity in Gauteng. I am particularly concerned about the way in which dust pollution and run-off water seriously affect the health and wellbeing of citizens, often particularly the most disadvantaged and poorest people in Gauteng.
It is clear that there has been inadequate rehabilitation of mining activity in Gauteng over hundreds of years. This is causing erosion of the rights of people in Gauteng, the erosion of their access to a safe and healthy environment and, very seriously, degrades their living conditions. We in the province are experiencing enormous pressure to use the National Environmental Management Act and the provisions that it contains in defence of the constitutional rights of people living in the province.
Clearly I am not comfortable in doing so. I would rather look to the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism to ensure that we, indeed, have a well-functioning system of co-operative governance so that, across those Ministries that are responsible for environmental matters, there is dedicated attention paid to such environmental degradation, and that the leadership role that he plays spanning the different provinces is well co- ordinated because, understandably, environment is a function that is properly co-ordinated at national level.
This is also an issue that cuts across not only the Department of Minerals and Energy, but also the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. Minister Kasrils has been extraordinarily supportive of our province in the way in which he has responded to environmental degradation that falls within the responsibility of his portfolio. But today there has been a great deal of discussion, and the Minister himself has raised the challenges of waste management. I want to congratulate the Minister on the public initiative that he has taken on the issue of raising public debate around waste management, recycling and the way in which our consumerist behaviour is contributing to pollution. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, MECs and hon members, it is indeed a pleasure for me to rise in this House representing the province and, in particular, the ANC in our province. I would appeal to the members of this House to grant me a moment's nostalgia. My father stood in this House for a period of 20 years representing the then United Party. For 16 of those years he was the leader of the Minority Party in this House. I thank the House for granting me that moment of nostalgia. [Applause.] [Interjections.] Let me add that my late father fortunately did see our new democracy and he fully supported my venture into the ANC. [Laughter.] [Applause.]
Latest world tourism trends indicate a preference amongst tourists to meet local people face to face. This trend is particularly exciting for the Free State which has limited physical tourist attractions compared to South Africa's coastal regions. On a recent visit to Europe, I was made very aware of the fact that after being there for a week or two, when one is out in the street all one would like to hear is somebody just saying; ``Hi! It's great to have you here.'' That is how we Free Staters are.
It is a recognised fact in South Africa that the hospitality and warmth of the Free State people have no equal and cannot be beaten. I would particularly like to make reference to our hospitable farm folk, be they workers or owners. I single out the Sesotho and Setswana-speaking Free Staters in particular, who are known for their friendly and spontaneous disposition.
Many urban inhabitants can testify to the pleasurable visits they have enjoyed on Free State farms, whether they are from the ``beskawing'' [civilised places], across the Hex River mountains, coastal dwellers or miners returning to their ancestral environments, they are always made to feel more than welcome.
Overseas visitors are being encouraged to become acquainted with township life by visiting places such as Intabazwe in Harrismith, which shows off an accurate presentation of day-to-day activities.
The previously mentioned aspects make our province ideal for hands-on agritourism and meet-the-people tourism - this my own phraseology. This is something that we have recently identified and instructed the Free State tourism and marketing board to prioritise. We discourage bus drives through townships, which only skims the surface of what the life is really like, and without meeting the people, experiencing the heartbeat of the throbbing environment on a personal level.
The marketing of the Free State to the rest of the world will increasingly be left in the capable hands of Satour. We in the Free State would like to extend our congratulations to Mr Valli Moosa on the quality appointments made to the board of Satour. As a country and a province, we are competing for tourists against other strong economies and democracies backed by hundreds of years' experience in the industry. Although our six-year old democracy is doing well and is striving to normalise the South African society, we are still far from the ideal and the zenith of our goals. During the second half of the twentieth century, when Europe was rebuilding its infrastructure and creating wealth, we in South Africa had a government which was hellbent on dividing our people and squandering the wealth generated by inexpensively mined gold and diamonds, by maintaining 14 parliaments in order to keep up the artificial front. Politicians, however, do not add value with their salaries, but tend to spend their money, and when that dries up, they like to ask for more. To keep the suppressed quiet, Pretoria kept on pouring more and more money into a bottomless pit until the country had virtually bled dry.
In addition, the country got itself dragged into border conflicts under the smoke screen cover of fighting communism.
That minority government controlled by a clique called the Broederbond were only buying more time for themselves to govern at the expense of the wellbeing of all South Africans and developing this country. European countries did not ban communism as we had in South Africa. Instead, some countries such as West Germany successfully built on nationalism and communism to combine capitalism and socialism into a wealthy social welfare state.
This background of a previously-divided South African nation is making it difficult for us to normalise, adequately enough, our society into one nation, which is essential if we are to make a success of people-to-people tourism. Safe tourism means that all communities should be involved, take responsibility and subsequently benefit. The Free State currently has too many white product owners who are hesitant to bring on board new product owners from traditionally disadvantaged communities. There are still too many incidents of tourists being focused on as soft targets by the criminal element. The recent horrendous attack on the Polish couple is such an example, which we should all be decrying. It is only going to be when all citizens are adequately educated about the advantages of the tourist trade for each one of them that these attacks will stop.
Too many of our newly-established tourist forums have a life span of approximately six months before intolerance sets in. Representatives stop attending meetings, and eventually, the forums are steered only by white members. To change the scenario, the Free State has established a link between local government and tourism forums to build capacity and provide accountability for funding and racial issues. These structures, in turn, link up to the provincial tourism department and the Free State tourism marketing board, which in turn links to the national Tourism department and Satour. This constant communication should limit the present costly duplication taking place at those various spheres.
In conclusion, we need specialised actions to create a climate for tourism because of the legacy of the past that divided our nation and sowed mistrust among our people, to the extent that strangers and tourists are not safe in our society. Farm attacks, rape and murder have become everyday occurences. We as Government need to act just as vigorously against these evils as we do in our campaign against HIV-Aids. Let us all motivate our fellow citizens to reclaim the streets from criminals, the highways from horrific evildoers.
Let us teach and educate our brothers and sisters that each tourist is not only a potential job creator, but also an uplifter of our individuality as, in the process of selling our country and our provinces, we ourselves are enhanced by something greater than ourselves - our love and loyalty towards the province and our beloved country. The Free State is determined to address these challenges not next year, but today and now. How? Because we have the support of a caring Government led by the ANC, a people's government. The Free State supports the Minister in his endeavours to promote tourism in South Africa. Finally, I invite all members to visit our friendly, beautiful Free State. Come and experience our friendly, winning smiles. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, Chief Whip, MECs from different provinces, NCOP members, chairpersons of the standing committees, special delegates, I greet all members in the name of democracy.
Tourism is a vital component of the North West province's economy, earning an estimated income of R1,1 billion from 112 000 international tourists and 1 211 000 trips by local tourists as per the latest research undertaken by Satour in 1995.
If these figures were correct, it would translate into approximately 10 120 direct jobs being created then. This is not visible due to the fact that there is massive unemployment in our province. We are aware that statistics are very poor in this field, a matter that is currently being vigorously pursued by the national department. The department is also hoping to pursue its own research programmes but is thwarted by the absence of resources to undertake such exercises. It is estimated that tourism employs about 4% of the workforce nationally, and has enormous potential to create opportunities for the SMME sector, especially for the previously disadvantaged communities.
The North West province is ranked very low in terms of the tourism receipts in the country due the existing state of underdeveloped tourism attractions and facilities. It has the potential to become very competitive within the SADC region. To achieve this, the department of economic development and tourism is working hard to implement the recently adopted North West province tourism development strategy which was initiated by the MEC for economic development and tourism, Mrs Edna Molewa, in conjunction with the North West Parks and Tourism Board.
The key issues in this regard are aimed at job creation and empowerment of the previously disenfranchised majority tourism and economic policy implications for the province, investment towards tourism development, and market and information analyses which should inform such developments. Promoting tourism amongst the indigenous people in South Africa and in the province is done in various ways. This, of course, also conforms to the imperatives of the national White Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism. It is also embodied in the North West policy document that this industry will be government-led, private sector-driven and community-based. A number of initiatives are currently being undertaken to ensure that the previously disadvantaged will be acculturalised in this industry in the not so distant future. This applies to their being hosts and entrepreneurs.
The North West also aligns itself with the current national Welcome Campaign 2000, which is being spearheaded by the national department to create an understanding amongst all South Africans of the importance of tourism, encourage all South Africans to get involved in the industry, encourage all South Africans to help and respect tourists and to encourage all South Africans to respect the physical and social environment of the country.
The department has established an SMME desk, whose primary task is to assist our people to have a meaningful and rewarding involvement in this industry. The department, together with its agency, the North West Parks and Tourism Board, is looking at creating about 6 400 jobs in the next two years, if circumstances permit. This, of course, will depend on various factors such our access to the Poverty Relief Fund and the extent of investment that will take place in the province.
A lot of effort is currently being expended to ensure that the province will benefit adequately from the exposure that it will be getting through professional marketing exercises including the Satour/private sector partnership marketing strategy currently being implemented. However, the province is also embarking on the process of establishing the Invest North West institution whose mandate will be to cover both the tourism and industrial investments and promotion.
As regards the water management programme, the North West province subscribes to the principle that ``cleanliness is next to godliness''. It also recognises some of the opportunities available for job creation through waste management programmes. It should also be realised that whilst this industry thrives on the environment in its various forms of presentation, environmental management is a key factor for purposes of preventing outbreaks of disease which can impact negatively on tourism receipts once it hits the media. It is also for these reasons that the North West supports the stance taken by the national Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism to outlaw some forms of plastic products that litter our environment. Needless to say, it is very important to create the necessary awareness amongst the rest of the South African population to be environmentally conscious. It is known that some countries such as Germany does not encourage their citizens to travel to those countries which do not take care of their environment, and the North West cannot afford such adverse publicity.
The standing committee in the North West is particularly concerned about medical waste management which is a medicolegal hazard in our province. We wish this to be given serious consideration.
Tourism is a complex and cross-cutting sector which impacts on most other economic sectors at different spatial levels and also affects various sectors of society. Thus, in institutional terms, sustainable tourism development requires a complete understanding of the range of functions necessary across all spheres of government for the successful management of the tourism system. The national institutional framework for the management of the tourism system on a financial basis also requires a lot of resources, both human and financial. It is said that tourism as an economic activity is most successful if managed by a partnership. We should also recognise that the national tourism industry is underpinned by both the provinces and local authorities, which are the pinnacles of the tourism industry in terms of facilities and geographical attributes. This implies automatically that integrated management, where resources are pooled together and plans integrated matters. This cannot for any reason be underestimated. Once it is accepted that the national structures hold the reins in terms of national policy guidelines and the allocation of resources, it is also imperative that this must be done in consultation with the grass-roots authorities where things are happening. This will prevent parallel and ad hoc developments that are brought about by poor consultation amongst the three spheres of government.
It is for these reasons and others that there was a need to establish cluster working groups, for the purpose of co-ordinating plans towards maximising resource utilisation. This is strongly encouraged by the North West Province government.
In conclusion, I wish to congratulate the Minister on his environmental campaign which is aimed at improving the lives of our people, and request the Minister to continue as a revolutionary cadre to fight the environmental cleanliness campaign to the advantage of the disadvantaged. Therefore, the North West Province wishes to see and receive financial support from the Minister to promote tourism in our province. [Time expired.]
Voorsitter, swak administrasie en bestuur het 'n direkte invloed op mense se lewens en is veral sigbaar in die visbedryf. Verskonings van te min geld en te min mense is nie meer geldig nie. [Chairperson, poor administration and management have a direct impact on people's lives and are especially visible in the fishing industry. Excuses of a lack of money and too few people are no longer valid.]
It is no use having a so-called cheap government. At what cost?
Op die oomblik het ons ongeveer 55 heffings en belastings in die Hoofdirektoraat: Mariene- en Kusbestuur, maar ons het nie die mense om dit in te vorder nie. Wat help dit dus? [At the moment we have approximately 55 levies and taxes in the Chief Directorate: Marine and Coastal Management, but we do not have the people to collect the money. Of what use is that?]
The best way to have effective streamlined administration is to have a skills audit: What is needed? What have we got? For example, it has come to my attention that, although MCM spent a total number of 2 000 hours on the allocation on hake longline, MCM has no legal adviser. I am very glad to hear that the Minister said that he was going for a high-power legal entity. This post has been advertised but what is the salary of the person going to be?
Ek gaan nie ten opsigte van salarisse die gesegde gebruik van ``peanuts'' en ``monkeys'' nie. Ek sal liewer die staaltjie gebruik wat ons in die wynbedryf het. Iemand moes kies tussen twee bottels wyn. Hy besluit toe op die goedkoper een, toe s sy vriend vir hom: ``Jy sal proe wat jy nie betaal het nie.'' Dieselfde geld vir hierdie departement.
Die direkte gevolge van swak administrasie en bestuur verwoes die kusgemeenskappe, en ook nie net deur die toekenning van visvangregte nie. Daar is byvoorbeeld die seewierkonsessies, die netvispermitte en die sogenaamde ``subsistence fishermen''. Die seewierkonsessies het al in 1998 verval en daar is nog nie weer nuwes uitgereik nie, of dit is so onlangs soos hierdie week uitgereik, maar ek is nie bewus daarvan nie. Die netvispermitte is nou nog nie toegeken nie.
Dit bring my by die sogenaamde ``subsistence fishermen''. Ek het dokumente en bewyse in my besit: sedert 21 Maart stuur ek name deur, kry ons vorms, vul die mense in - die mense van Hawston, Langebaan ensovoorts ry en bring vir ons vorms in. Daar gebeur niks nie en die seisoen het gesluit. So vir sekere ``subsistence fishermen'' het dit wel gehelp, maar vir ander nie. Ek wonder waar word die lyn getrek.
Dit bring my ook by die persoon wat verantwoordelik is vir die ``subsistence fishermen''. Volgens antwoorde aan my gegee in 'n vraag gestel in hierdie Huis is daar tydelike aanstellings wat net intern geadverteer is. Ek wil vandag die vraag vra: hoe het mnr Noel Williams, 'n voormalige ANC-parlementslid, 'n pos in Seevisserye gekry as die pos net intern geadverteer is? Die agb Minister kan verseker wees dat die DP hierop sal ingaan.
Ek wil my vandag spesifiek bepaal by die hawens. Werkskepping is seker een van die belangrikste doelwitte van die Regering. ``Job summits'' word gehou en geld word afgetrek van mense se salarisse, maar as gevolg van swak administrasie en bestuur gaan werk by die hawens verlore, veral aan die Weskus - ek gaan grotendeels op die Weskus konsentreer. Die vervangingswaarde van Suid-Afrika se hawens is verlede jaar bereken op R1 miljard en dit sluit die Portnet-hawens uit. Samsa het die naweek nog 'n waarskuwing uitgereik dat hulle in die nuwe jaar geen lisensies of veiligheidsertifikate gaan toeken aan bote wat nie op die sleephellings was nie. Ons beskik nie op die oomblik oor sleephellings wat bedryf word nie. Hoe lank gaan dit nog vat voor hulle in werking kom? In die besigheidsplan wat die Minister vroer die jaar aan ons gegee het, maak hy ons daarop attent dat hy gaan konsentreer op ``public-private partnerships''.
Daar is egter ander goed waaraan ons intussen al kan aandag skenk, terwyl ons ons voorberei op hierdie proses. Op die oomblik is die privaatsektor besig om die sleephelling in Saldanhabaai op eie onkoste te herstel. Ek dink dit is 'n skande vir die staat dat die privaatsektor voel, ter wille van oorlewing, ter wille van werkskepping, ter wille van internasionale ooreenkomste, moet hulle maar inspring en dit self regmaak. Presies 'n jaar gelede het mnr Brown van die firma Boats getender om die sleephelling in Saldanha teen 'n koste van R104 000 te herstel. Dit is van die hand gewys, maar dan word daar R558 000 betaal aan 'n privaatspeurder vir 31 dae se werk.
Wat betref St Helenabaai en Sandy Point, asook die daarmee gepaardgaande werkskepping, verwys ek na Tully Marine, 'n voormalige pryswenner van die Argus-Sanlam Job Creator of the Year 1998-toekenning, asook een van die drie entrepreneurs van daardie jaar. In April vanjaar moes Tully Marine 40 van hul permanente geskoolde werkers afdank. Waarom? As gevolg van die feit dat daar nie meer 'n sleephelling in St Helenabaai en by Sandy Point is nie. Vyf jaar gelede het 80% van hul inkomste bestaan uit herstelwerk. Vandag is dit minimaal. Dit is slegs 7% omdat daar nie 'n sleephelling is nie. Die mense is op die oomblik besig om self 'n sleephelling te bou om die bote wat hul bou net uit die fabriek in die water te kry. Hulle mag nie bote van die water af inkry nie, want die staat het 'n sleephelling, maar dit werk nie.
Dit bring my by die hawetariewe. In 1999 is die hawetariewe aangepas met tot 4185%. Die verskoning is dat daar sedert 1993 geen tariewe gehef is nie, maar wie se skuld is dit? Dit is swak administrasie en bestuur, maar nou moet die gewone man daarvoor opdok. Wat meer is, die mense is bereid om te betaal. Die gemiddelde inflasie oor die tydperk is deur kundiges bereken op 72%. Hulle is bereid om dit te betaal, maar nie hierdie abnormale verhoging nie.
Hierdie hawe kan hulle nie eens ten volle benut nie. Daar is een kaai wat al twee jaar lank gesluit is. Een snoekkaai is al byna heeltemal verrot. Derdens is die toegangsfooi by St Helenabaai abnormaal hoog. Daar is nie eens ablusiegeriewe vir een mens nie. [Tussenwerpsels.]
Op die oomblik l daar in St Helenabaai 'n boot van Lambertsbaai. Sy herstelkoste beloop R60 000. Sy hawetariewe vir die maand beloop R88 000. Hierdie mense kry nie eens kwotas nie. Hoe moet hulle hul bote regmaak? [Tussenwerpsels.] Dit is 'n skande.
Dan is daar ook nog die driedubbele heffing op die herstel van buitelandse bote. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[With regard to salaries, I am not going to use the saying of ``peanuts'' and ``monkeys''. I would rather make use of the analogy we have in the wine industry. Somebody had to choose between two bottles of wine. When he decided on the cheaper one, his friend said to him: ``You will taste what you did not pay for.'' The same applies to this department.
The direct consequences of poor administration and management are destroying the coastal communities, and not only through the allocation of fishing rights. There are, for example, the concessions for seaweed, the netting permits and the so-called subsistence fishermen. The concessions for seaweed expired in 1998 and new ones have not yet been issued, or they have been issued as recently as this week, but I am not aware of that having happened. The netting permits have still not been allocated.
This brings me to the so-called subsistence fishermen. I have proof and documents in my possession: since 21 March I have sent names through, acquired forms, filled in by the people - the people of Hawston, Langebaan, and so forth, went and brought us forms. Nothing has happened and the season has come to an end. Thus, certain subsistence fishermen did benefit, whilst others did not. I wonder where the line is drawn.
This also brings me to the person responsible for the subsistence fishermen. In response to a question I had asked in this House I was given the reply that there were temporary appointments which were only advertised internally. Today I want to ask the question: How did Mr Noel Williams, a former ANC member, acquire a post in Sea Fisheries if that post was only advertised internally? The hon the Minister can be sure of the fact that the DP will investigate the matter.
Today I especially want to focus on ports. Job creation is certainly one of the most important aims of the Government. Job summits are held and money is deducted from people's salaries, but due to poor administration and management, jobs at ports are being lost, especially on the West Coast - I am mainly going to focus on the West Coast. The replacement value of South Africa's ports was calculated at R1 billion last year and this excluded the Portnet harbours. Samsa issued another warning this weekend that in the new year they will not be issuing any licences or safety certificates to boats that were not on the slipways. At present we do not have operational slipways. How long will it still be before they are operational? In the business plan that the Minister gave us earlier this year, he drew our attention to the fact that he will focus on public-private partnerships.
However, there are other matters to which we can in the meantime devote our attention, while we prepare ourselves for this process. At the moment the private sector is busy repairing the slipway at Saldanha Bay at its own expense. I think it is a disgrace for the state that the private sector feels that, for the sake of survival, job creation and international agreements, they have to jump in themselves and repair it.
Precisely a year ago Mr Brown of the firm Boats put in a tender to repair the slipway at Saldanha at a cost of R104 000. It was refused, but then a private investigator was paid R558 000 for 31 days' work.
With regard to St Helena Bay and Sandy Point, together with the concomitant job creation, I want to refer to Tully Marine, a former prize-winner of the Argus-Sanlam Job Creator of the Year 1998 award, as well as one of the three entrepreneurs of that year. In April this year Tully Marine had to dismiss 40 of their permanent skilled workers. Why? Owing to the fact that there are no longer slipways at St Helena Bay and at Sandy Point. Five years ago 80% of their income consisted of repairs. Today that is minimal. It is only 7%, because there is no slipway. At present the people are busy building a slipway themselves, just to get the boats which they are building out of the factory and into the water. They are not allowed to get boats out of the water and onto dry land, because the state has a slipway, but it is not working.
This brings me to port tariffs. In 1999 port tariffs were adjusted by as much as 4185%. The excuse was that since 1993 no tariffs were imposed, but whose fault is that? That is poor administration and management, but now the man in the street has to foot the bill. What is more, the people are prepared to pay. The average inflation over that period has been calculated by experts at 72%. They are prepared to pay, but not this abnormal increase.
They cannot even utilise this port fully. There is one quay that has been closed for two years now. One snoek quay has already almost rotted away. Thirdly, the entrance fee at St Helena Bay is abnormally high. There are not even ablution facilities for a single person. [Interjections.]
At the moment a boat from Lamberts Bay is lying at anchor at St Helena Bay. Its repair costs amount to R60 000. Its port tariffs amount to R88 000 for the month. These people do not even get quotas. How must they repair their boats? [Interjections.] It is a disgrace.
Then there is also the triple levy on the repair of foreign boats.]
I am not going to take a question.
Order! On what point of order are you rising, hon member?
Chairperson, will the hon member take a question?
Order! Hon member, are you prepared to take a question?
No, I am absolutely not prepared to do so. If I get four extra minutes, I will take a question.
Dan is daar ook nog driedubbele heffings op die herstel van buitelandse bote asook R2 000 per dag om aan die kaai te l. Die gevolg hiervan is dat die buitelandse bote nie meer by ons hawens aandoen nie. Ons verloor baie belangrike buitelandse valuta en meer nog, ons verloor werkgeleenthede.
Dit is nie die enigste probleme nie. Daar is ook probleme met die grond, want mense in St Helenabaai kan die grond net vyf jaar lank huur. Ons vriend mnr Dickie Meter in Houtbaai kan egter met die goedkeuring van die Houtbaai-ontwikkelingstrust 25 jaar lank grond huur waarop daar nog geen investering gedoen is nie.
Ek besef ek nader die einde van my spreektyd, en ek sluit graag af.
[Then there is also the triple levy on the repair of foreign boats, as well as R2 000 per day to be anchored at the quay. The result of this is that the foreign boats do not call at our ports any more. We are losing very important foreign exchange and what is more, we are losing job opportunities.
These are not the only problems. There are also problems with land, because people in St Helena Bay can only rent land for five years. Our friend Mr Dickie Meter in Hout Bay can, however, with the approval of the Hout Bay Development Trust, rent land for 25 years, on which no investment has been done yet.
I realise that I am nearing the end of my speaking time, and I would like to conclude.]
I gave a notice of motion this morning to the effect that the integrity of this House is at stake. The seriousness with which I view this issue will be reflected in the letters to the Chairperson and the Chief Whip, which I will send to them through the Table. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, members of this august House, special delegates from provinces and MECs present here today, I am privileged to, once again, address this House, particularly on this occasion of the policy review debate on Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
The purpose of my address will be to set out some of the key areas, particularly in the field of tourism, that this department will have to grapple with much more seriously, and how this should relate to the broader issues of tourism as a creator of sustainable jobs in the economy and the largest foreign currency earner.
As we emerge from the pariah state that South Africa had become through successive gangster regimes that had blindly defended the morally repugnant system of apartheid, we are now confidently and proudly into the second term of our democratic order, ably led by the glorious army of the majority of the people of this country, the ANC. This has brought with it increased societal awareness of the strategic importance of tourism, although it is not the panacea for all the social ills in our country.
The question should therefore be asked whether we have, indeed, done enough as a nation to unlock the tremendous potential that tourism has for South Africa in relation to the all-important matter of job creation, thus dealing with some of the social ills in our country, particularly the colossal unemployment and abject poverty which I referred to earlier on.
Our ability, therefore, to effectively unlock this potential depends, to a very large extent, on our ability to have a shared patriotism, commitment and a shared vision in terms of how we want to turn this industry into South Africa's single biggest creator of jobs in the economy to benefit the most vulnerable in society, particularly women in rural communities and young people.
This industry must deliberately create an entrepreneurial class of young men and women who must, in turn, contribute to the development of a vibrant SMME sector to provide much-needed jobs for school-leavers and first-time job seekers in the country. It should therefore not be seen as a sole preserve or exclusive domain of the historically advantaged - who still are in this position - and its business and its professional class.
It must be said that the collective minds of those that planned and defended apartheid colonialism for decades in this country must now be used progressively to unlock and promote the tourism industry in South Africa on an unprecedented scale to eliminate poverty and thus create a better life for all. It is through all of us genuinely confronting these realities that we can boldly declare, as young people do, that yesterday is, indeed, a foreign country, and that tomorrow belongs to us all.
Having said that, I must also point out that tourism, as a source of job creation, should be Government's priority in view of the sector's potential for foreign currency earnings and employment, as I indicated earlier on. It must also be borne in mind that it is this sector that has a substantial flow-through effect which touches all sectors of the economy. It has a great potential as a catalyst for future economic and social development throughout our SADC region.
All our people, particularly the majority on whose behalf I speak in this Chamber, must benefit from the much-talked-about ``world's greatest tourist attractions'' which South Africa boasts, with regard to both the natural and the cultural heritage, ranging from game parks and pristine scenery to beaches and traditional villages. We should make it possible for low-income earners to marvel with pride at the beauty of these attractions, while equally engaging the unemployed in this sector, using it as a launching pad for economic development, particularly among rural communities.
Tourism development's major preoccupation should, therefore, be to raise the wellbeing of local communities, to promote mutual understanding in order to achieve peace, to conserve nature and the environment, and to preserve traditions as well as the social and cultural values of our country. The interests of local people must, therefore, be taken care of so that a peaceful atmosphere within which tourism can thrive can then prevail.
If South Africa attracts 0,2% of the annual estimated 300 million tourists in the world - and we rank number 42 when it comes to tourism earners in the world - then we need to do much more in the area of marketing our precious country. We need to have the best marketing strategies, through partnerships with the private sector, so that we can become serious world players in world tourism.
Our ability to achieve all of these things also depends on the capacity of provinces to market their various attractions among local people and to build local economies. Local government, being the confluence of delivery, must then begin to find, in a much more concrete way, innovative strategies for creating a local tourism corps to develop tourism-related products at a local level. In this way we will be able to showcase certain attractions at a local level and bring the richness of the history to tourists and thus effectively create sustainable jobs locally and provide local authorities with much-needed revenue. This tourism corps must also become the first line of defence for tourists against criminal elements in areas where these elements are to be found.
If the number of jobs in the trade, catering and accommodation sectors of the economy grew by 9% last year as a result of growth in tourism and if tourism currently brings an estimated R20 billion a year into the economy, second only to mining and manufacturing in its contribution to the GDP, then with our renewed determination, commitment and energy, we could effectively be in a position to double if not treble the statistics.
As South Africans, we must again do what we are capable of doing, and that is to give tourists a friendly smile when they visit this country. We should stop and talk to them whenever we meet them. We should be positive about our cultures, our country and its future, and be proud of our facilities, keep our environment litter-free and say no to plastic bags. We should also be able to talk about these cultures, our customs and say a big no to crime, and above all, be proud of being South African.
The Minister has touched on a number of critical areas, which I feel I must also comment on, in relation to the whole issue of us as Government creating strategic partnerships with the private sector. A case in point relates to SAA's recent global partnership with Delta airlines which promises to bring an additional 26 000 visitors per year to South Africa. This view was reinforced by the Minister in his most recent address at the Indaba 2000 travel showcase, which this industry holds almost annually, where the Minister spoke of the strategic importance of all of us working as a nation to make South Africa one of the hottest destinations on the globe. If this is the approach of the Minister, there honestly is not even a shade of doubt in my mind that this industry is going through its own renaissance. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Mr N SINGH (KwaZulu-Natal): Hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, colleagues in the Council, it is a pleasure for me to participate in this policy debate on Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
The hon the Deputy Minister is not only a finger-wagging Deputy Minister, but has also become a fist-wagging Deputy Minister in today's editorial of the Business Day. She must keep it up! [Laughter.] As my colleague Mrs Cronj indicated to the House, I will focus on environmental issues. She has touched on some of the tourism issues. However, I must also state that some of the issues that I am going to touch on have been discussed at Minmec, but I thought it would be wise for me to share some of the information with my colleagues here in this honourable Council of ours.
I do not know if it was an act of omission, and I would like to think that it was so, where, on the last page of the hon the Minister's speech which I have just read, he referred to the celebration which he had with the province of Gauteng with regard to the Sterkfontein caves. I must remind the hon the Minister that we also celebrated the declaration of the Greater St Lucia Wetland park as a World Heritage site with him, and I am sure that it was an omission. We are also looking forward to the declaration of the Drakensberg-Ukhalamba range as having World Heritage status for both the cultural and natural beauty that it offers.
I just want to make a few remarks on tourism. I was delighted to learn, a few days ago, that the Global Environment Facility, via the World Bank, has approved a loan or grant totalling some R15 million which will go towards a project to protect the exceptional biodiversity of the Maluti-Drakensberg mountains through conservation-sustainable resource use and land use, and development planning. I think what is exciting about this particular project, as the hon Minister indicated to us, is that it is not only South Africa and three provinces within South Africa that are involved in this project, but that it also involves the neighbouring country of Lesotho. I am sure that the national department will do everything that it has to do to ensure that we get this particular loan.
My colleague Mrs Cronj spoke about tourism, and others spoke about some of the factors that would negatively influence tourism in our country. However, I would also like for us to remember that poor waste management will also impact negatively on visitors' experiences and, consequently, damage the image that tourism marketing campaigns endeavour to project of South Africa as an international destination. I will be reflecting on waste management later on. However, since this is Environment Week and we celebrated World Environment Day yesterday, I am very pleased that the national department and the Minister and Deputy Minister have taken the opportunity to extend the awareness campaign for ten days, and not only celebrate and make people aware on World Environment Day.
Now, we have various challenges that we face in KwaZulu-Natal, and I thought I would share some of these challenges with hon members. Land fertility is declining. Land degradation is increasing. The rapid growth of urbanisation is causing massive air pollution. Marine fisheries are being overexploited to the point that their ability to quickly recover is in doubt. Wetlands are under considerable pressure as a result of predominantly agricultural and commercial forestry development. When it comes to industrial development, although monitoring seems to indicate that there are no major problems with air quality in areas of complex development, I believe there is considerable public concern about air pollution from industries operating in the province, and I will refer to this a little later as well.
I would like to say to members of this Council, that as the department of environmental affairs in KwaZulu-Natal, we have engaged in various activities over the last few days, some of which have been visits to schools and conducting environmental awareness campaigns - the eradication of alien plants within and outside school premises and the planting of indigenous trees - and the propagation and planting of medicinal plants with traditional healers. We promoted an anti-litter campaign involving local communities and schools. We had live talk shows, and it was a pleasure for me to participate in a talk show with the hon Deputy Minister last night. We have encouraged art competitions aimed at learners and adults, and we offered cash prizes and awarded prizes for the best functional art and best visual art entries using waste materials. So these are just some of the activities that we have engaged in in the province.
Turning to waste management and environmental affairs, I would like to discuss the responsibility that we as provinces have in this sphere of environmental affairs, especially in respect of pollution control. The Constitution provides for the right of the individual to live in a clean and healthy environment. Natural law probably confers the same right on him or her. The Constitution also clearly provides that protection of the environment should be a concurrent responsibility of national and provincial Government. It is a basic responsibility that neither sphere of Government can shirk. We have to decide where the division of responsibilities should lie, which functions of protecting the environment are most effectively provided by which sphere of government, and here I refer to the three spheres of Government that we have. I believe that everything has to mesh at the end of the day, whether it is the provincial government, or the local government that carries out the functions. Everything has to mesh with the national framework of standards and procedures.
We also have to decide how such functions are to be funded. As I said, the Constitution places on Government the responsibility for environmental care, but the Constitution does not provide the funding for the task.
We in Government have a serious mandate which is inadequately funded. I think that is true of both spheres of government, national and provincial. We simply do not have the trained personnel, and I think the Northern Province referred to that. We simply do not have the trained personnel in sufficient numbers, nor the budgets, to provide the environmental protection mandated to us by the Constitution. We cannot allow this kind of scenario to continue. KwaZulu-Natal has been giving attention to this anomaly. We take seriously, as I am sure other colleagues would, the responsibilities toward the environment and human society. Early in April we organised a workshop in Durban to discuss the responsibility of various spheres of government, national, provincial and local. We were delighted that there were colleagues of ours from five other provinces present at this workshop, where we engaged in a full-day workshop to try to fathom from the National Environmental Management Act what exactly our responsibilities are.
The report has been given to the hon the Minister, and I am sure that the national department will take this forward so that there is clarity on who has to do what and when. To this end we are concerned about the levels of pollution, particularly in the Southern Durban area, and I want to thank the hon the Minister and the Deputy Minister for the proactive steps that they have taken to come to the province to try to sort out this problem.
Unfortunately what does tend to happen is that, because my portfolio title is ``MEC for Environmental Affairs'', the first port of call is my office. So, I think here again we have to sort out, particularly when it comes to disasters, who goes in and acts. I would like to think that any sphere of government which is available at that moment when there is a disaster, should be able to act, as we did when it came to a sulphur dioxide leak at one of the factories recently. We had problems there. We instituted a committee which investigated the matter.
I am looking forward to the investigating committee on the polythene chlorine leaks as well. I understand that a panel has been put together, and I hope that this investigation can start soon, because the hon the Minister did indicate publicly that there would be an investigation into this matter. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, colleagues and members of this House, it is an honour for me to be here today to address this House in the debate on the national policy review.
Before I start I would like to say that I met with the Minister yesterday at a clean-up project, and I spoke to him about funding a project in the Western Cape that is very dear to my heart. He was quite agreeable about it. What happened was that I then had to go back and redraft my speech. So, my speech today, if anything, is well considered. [Laughter.]
Yesterday was World Environment Day. It is thus fitting that the budget debate on the environmental portfolio should be held today, because the Unep theme for this year is: ``The Environment Millennium, Time to Act''. One's will to act is evidenced by one's will to spend. In this instance it is taxpayers' money we are spending. The question that therefore arises is not only how much we are prepared to commit, but also whether that expenditure is effective.
It is correct to target poverty alleviation and job creation as priority goals in the environmental budget, but what must also be recognised is the role that privileged people play in our society in the generation of waste and pollution. Almost inevitably, although it is not the intention, poor people get the blame for our environmental woes. The sooner poverty alleviation is linked to the causes of waste pollution, and the consumption of resources through privilege, the more balanced the budgetary approach will be. In other words, the causes of poverty and the causes of environmental degradation must be linked, not the results.
The expenditure on the development of an integrated waste management strategy must be fast-tracked, and not be held hostage by the popular issues in the environmental budget. By this I mean that the Minister has gained himself superhero status with his intention to combat plastic bags as litter. I agree with him, and will give 100% support to his initiatives, but the problem must be seen for what it is. It is a litter problem along with all the filth and litter we encounter. Whilst the plastic bag issue merits the national priority that it is enjoying, one can similarly wage a war on paper products, cans, glass and tyres. An integrated waste management strategy is needed wherein plastic bags, all the other litter problems, and incentive-linked recycling projects must be situated and be accorded relative priority. We cannot wait two or three years to implement an integrated national waste management policy.
I turn to the issue of 4x4 vehicles, and note the Minister's public statement in this regard. Whilst I feel just as strongly about 4x4 vehicles on our beaches as he does, I think that this matter has to be reconsidered. Instead of 4x4 vehicles being banned from the beaches, beaches should be graded according to their sensitivity and the impact the projected volume of 4x4 vehicles would have on that area. In some instances, one might opt for controlled access, and in others, no access whatsoever by 4x4 vehicles. A total ban is too blunt an instrument. [Interjections.] I fully endorse the hon the Minister's stance on industrial pollution. I agree that there is rampant lawlessness amongst industrial operators who pollute without regard. They tend to have the public relations machinery to sanitise their public image whilst their pollution affects the health of our children and degrades our environment. The sooner the regulations he is drafting sees the light of day, the better off we will be.
Related to this is the ubiquitous foreign investor. Whenever any decision is made on the environment, we are threatened that we will scare away one or other foreign investor. Whilst I acknowledge the importance of foreign investment, we cannot be held hostage to their demands, nor can we allow ourselves to become the dumping ground of their capital expenditure. Investment must be conducted in an environmentally sustainable manner, otherwise it will migrate anyway, but only after it has wreaked havoc in our land.
I am further pleased to see the Minister's support for local agenda 21 coming through and I trust with each successive budget more resources can be allocated to our obligations on agenda 21 issues. So, too, must our international obligations on biodiversity, climate change, transport of hazardous goods, nuclear waste, etc, be monitored and implemented.
Now I am done with the compliments. If ever there was a blot on the Minister's fine record in his portfolio up to now - and I say up to now, because I was encouraged by his words this morning - then it must be the fishing industry. It is time that the Minister concedes failure in the current marine resources management system and redesigns it. We in the Western Cape, where nearly 90% of the industry is concentrated, had the ear of the role-players, and can see that the present system is profoundly dysfunctional.
When one sees flagship empowerment initiatives being boasted about on the SABC news, and knows that a family member was a member of the Fisheries Transformation Council, then one does not need a private investigator to tell one that nepotism is rife. When the Deputy Minister stands up in Parliament and declares that the private investigator found nothing wrong, and a few days later one reads that the same private investigator is threatening to go public and uncover compromising information, then the system is seriously and profoundly corrupt. [Interjections.]
Look at the so-called transformation in the industry which is almost synonymous with an old cronies club. Very poor and desperate people are suffering because the ruling party is keen to dish out patronage. This is wrong. Please bring an end to it. If Minister Kader Asmal can rethink Curriculum 2005, then the Minister can redesign the quota system. Perhaps it is time to consider sharing the responsibility of marine and coastal management with the other spheres of government.
Finally, environmentalists understand the difficulties that are inherent in this portfolio. The Minister has done much to raise the profile of sustainable environmental management in this country. The challenge will be to see whether the legacy of this new approach will be one that meets the profile.
The Minister and I share a common vision. We will work together to realise this vision, but we will agree to differ over issues where the environment is used as a political football. The environmental challenges facing us are much bigger than the politics of the day. Let us not lose sight of the bigger picture. [Applause.]
Order! Thank you, hon member. You have perhaps set a good example. When we allocate time, it does not mean that you must exhaust it. [Laughter.]
Mr Chair, Minister and the House at large, section 24(a) of our Constitution provides that every person has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing. Flowing from that provision, I would like to share with the Minister and this House a few observations connected to the environmental problems I have experienced in the Northern Province. We have a problem with the state of disrepair of the security fences along the Kruger National Park. These fences are commonly known there as ``10 heights''. The problems related to these are as follows: Firstly, these fences are very dilapidated. Wild animals and predators often leave the park and enter villages, causing problems and destroying livestock. A month ago, we had a terrible situation. Seven lions, along with one cheetah and one buffalo escaped from the Kruger National Park. Later on, these lions were tracked down and four were shot dead. Three are still at large along with the cheetah and the buffalo. One other shocking experience in that area is that a certain gentleman called Judas Baloyi was knocked down by a buffalo and became unconscious, and he eventually recovered in hospital.
I am just trying to indicate to the Minister the problems that we experience in the unfriendly environment in that particular area. The state of affairs is definitely not pleasing in that particular area, and is mainly due to the fencing which is quite loose. This might not fall within the competency of the Minister, but I think it is worth mentioning because it is connected to the environment.
One other observation about a problem is that the environment there becomes so unfriendly that some people lose livestock. Hence, I would like to know from the Minister if there is an intention to establish a compensation policy because a lot of the livestock in those areas serve as a means of income for the rural people there. I know of a lot of youths that have gone to universities and technikons because of the fact that their parents reared livestock, and this is very important. One other observation that I wish to make is that, especially at the ranches where people come to see the animals and some come for professional hunting purposes, and there is a pile of stores and goods that are going to waste. For example, at the Letaba ranch, we have hides and skins that were left there by the former homeland governments which are piling up and rotting. These could be sold and this money could go into the government coffers.
We also have equipment, machinery and other items in those areas. They are lying there unused. I would request that, if this particular matter falls within the competency of the Minister, it should please receive very urgent attention.
It is a pity that, in most cases, I do not have much time. I always have only four minutes. Otherwise, I could have told him more stories about baboons and other things that are moving around there that are creating an unfriendly environment in those areas. [Laughter.] [Applause.]
Order! Thank you, we will hear more about baboons later. [Laughter.]
Chair, hon members and delegates, I think as responsible political leaders of this country, we must put the citizens first on our agendas and make positive contributions to their lives, because we feel that cheap politicking or vote-touting make no positive contribution to our people. It is usually those who have no programmes or anything to offer to our people who try to distract us from the real visions and real and noble cause of this new democratic Government.
It is our people who suffered in the past and, even now, are being made to suffer in a very subtle way. The communities are getting confused and we should please not rub salt on the open wounds that are there. We definitely would like to focus on assisting our people and making a difference in their lives, and what we hear, we will take as noise pollution and nothing else. [Laughter.]
To make some comments on what has been said, it is true that certain harbours have been repaired by private businesses. That is true. The businesses offered to do so and, anyway, the deputy director-general is on his way to thank them. They offered to do it, and it is good. We are working in partnership with business and civil society, and there is nothing wrong with that. We have now budgeted R10 million to repair those harbours.
Coming to Noel Williams, he was appointed within the legal parameters. We can go on investigating, but we do not have the time. We want to deliver to our people. [Interjections.]
With regard to harbour fees, we have had a meeting. We have discussed this, and we have said that the people who are involved in fishing must come and tell us about it. We are waiting for them to bring their proposals and we are going to sit down with them. In fact, those harbour fees were set by those hon members' government because they were in government. I think we must not waste our time. [Interjections.] Please listen to what we want to do. We are acting on those plans.
This year, the theme of World Environment Week has a clear message that it is time to act and clean up our country to create a better life. Our country is getting dirtier every day and our people's lives are endangered. Our environment is degraded by ill-managed and hazardous waste, and our children are in constant danger of contracting diseases. Because of air pollution, as a world, we are faced with the real possibility of global warming and similar dangers emanating from atmospheric changes, and our enormous coastline is threatened by irresponsible human behaviour. We have resolved to get a foothold on all these issues through clear policies and firm action in order to entrench the principles of sustainable development geared towards the improvement of our people's quality of life.
To do this, an integrated strategy is indispensable. A forum such as the NCOP, that brings all the spheres of government together, is tasked with a role that can make or break our endeavours to carry this vision forward. If provinces and local governments do not localise and implement these policies that we have set out here, those policies remain meaningless to the poor majority we purport to serve.
Pollution and waste management issues are foremost on our agenda. Just two weeks ago, we unveiled the White Paper on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management for SA. We are determined to turn this policy into reality. To this end, we have published, for public comment, regulations that spell out our intention to ban the use of plastic carrier bags. Let me hasten to say that the ban is not on all plastics, but we will only ban the thin carrier bags that have 79 microns or less that are given free of charge in all the supermarkets, and that are always visible in our country's landscape. Everyone uses plastic, and therefore we strongly believe that this issue will help us reach every South African and encourage a culture of cleanliness.
Visible action is being taken to establish waste management infrastructure in townships dealing with medical waste - this is what was raised by the hon member from the North West who was worried about medical waste. We had a lot of incidents even in the Western Cape and all over the country, and we need to deal with it, and other hazardous waste which continues to threaten our communities and is contributing to increased poverty and the degradation of the environment.
To this end, in August this year, we will be publishing guidelines for integrated waste management planning for local government. Local government has a key role to play in the community awareness campaigns, the designing of alternative collection systems and the creation of community-based waste collection systems.
It is the role of local government to put in place local by-laws, ordinances and regulations that are effective. It is appropriate to acknowledge the steps taken by the Northern Cape town of Douglas, as has already been mentioned, of banning plastic carrier bags well ahead of this becoming law. Last weekend some shops in Pretoria also announced to their customers and to the communities that, as from next month, they would not be using any plastic bags; people must bring their own carrier bags. We are proud of these initiatives. The city of Cape Town will also soon be launching a huge campaign against litter in the Mother City. This is the type of initiative we expect from local government if we are to succeed in defeating the scourge of waste that threatens to drown us all.
The state of health care waste management in South Africa is very poor. Contributing to this state of affairs is a lack of training and awareness, and limited financial resources, particularly at the provincial health care level. Add to this the lack of capacity at authority level, and one has a situation where the disposal of health care waste to inappropriate landfills and informal dumps becomes commonplace in our country.
Whilst some institutions are managing infectious waste in an unacceptable manner, almost none has acceptable procedures and management systems in place for chemical, including pharmaceutical, waste and low-level radioactive waste. A brief study into the current status of health care waste management, the approach used internationally and the needs in South Africa has been conducted by our department. We will shortly be publishing regulations that will serve as guidelines for health care waste management to correct this scary situation.
Over the past few months, concern has been expressed about air pollution. Some corporate citizens have been less than responsible in their commitment to limit emission levels to acceptable and hazard-free levels.
Government, on its side, has been consistent over the past six years in enforcing sustained emission reduction programmes at each of the four refineries in our country. We are confident that this will result in significant improvement in ambient air pollution levels in the vicinity of these plants. In fact, the results of our independently audited monitoring reveals that the emission levels which residents are exposed to are well below the standards of the World Health Organisation. However, we are still concerned that these levels have not yet been reached everywhere, because communities are still suffering in these areas. We are determined to continue monitoring this.
The hon member Mr Van Niekerk is indeed correct in saying that littering is a crime. In fact, people in some areas have already implemented certain initiatives. The other day I launched a buy-back centre in Thohoyandou. There the youth have volunteered to enforce this. They wore T-shirts with the words ``littering is a crime''. There are initiatives that we do not know about. We encourage people to go on with this. Littering really is a crime.
Despite these improvements, Government is committed to heed the calls of our people who have, over the years, moved closer to sites near refineries and in some instances, of course, the refineries were built near them. We have stated, on a number of occasions, that we have no tolerance for companies that harm the health of residents and workers through their activities. We will not hesitate to prosecute and recover damages from companies that disregard environmental norms and standards.
We have agreed to start negotiations with the refineries on putting in place co-operative agreements in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, which will entail the operation of ambient and emission monitoring, independent auditing of monitoring results and agreeing on emission reduction programmes. These negotiations do not preclude more drastic action against the major pollutors in this country, we will still prosecute them. Polluters will be made to pay to clean up their mess. They will have to pay for all the expenses incurred by the communities.
Order! Could the hon the Deputy Minister wrap up?
Yes.
Internationally we are playing our part in these areas. South Africa has been mandated to host the Basel Regional Training Centre on behalf of the English speaking countries, which is intended to build capacity in hazardous waste management and the transboundary movement of waste. We are well aware of the problems of asbestos. The case will be heard in London on 19 June and we are all supporting this. We must definitely all do this.
Concerning climate change, we in South Africa have joined a convention on climate change to get a solution to the escalating greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. Because South Africa's economy is coal based, we will still have problems in this regard. We need alternatives in our townships to supply electricity or alternative means of energy.
This morning we launched the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development in South Africa. It comes at a very good time, because this week we celebrate World Environment Week.
It is estimated that these resources contribute R168 billion annually to the national economy, approximately 35% of the gross domestic product. The coastal population of approximately 13,7 million people includes some of South Africa's poorest and most overcrowded communities. It is our challenge as politicians to assist those communities. They must have access to our resources, but they must know how to conserve and take care of these coastal areas so as not to degrade them continuously.
This policy is aimed at maximising and sustaining the social, economic and environmental benefits provided by coastal resources. In a partnership between Government and civil society, the department will initiate a course of action that will unlock the full potential of our coast whilst maintaining the wealth, diversity and productivity of coastal ecosystems.
Central to this strategy is support for local demonstration projects aimed at fostering shared responsibility of coastal resources between Government and coastal communities. Certain communities are joining the Blue Flag campaign. This means that that particular community is able to keep the coast clean. Communities which achieve this, will get a Blue Flag. All coastal communities must strive to do that. Durban is the first recipient of the Blue Flag, and I am proud of that. All communities, right up to here in the Western Cape, should join.
With the help of this White Paper, we can establish ``one-stop-shops'' for obtaining planning, environmental and other approvals for coastal development applications. We need to support these ...
Order! Hon Deputy Minister, you are three minutes over your time.
All right.
All these initiatives are challenges to all of us here as political leaders and we need to take them seriously. [Applause.]
Chairperson, I would like to make some introductory remarks just to say that it is a real honour for me to be speaking in the NCOP. I fought long and hard for the struggle to be here. [Applause.]
Gauteng is the most industrialised province in this country and contributes at least 39% of the GDP. Being industrialised, the generation of waste is greatest in our province of all provinces. We are accordingly extremely enthusiastic about the national waste management strategy and were encouraged by the recently released White Paper. We look forward to the regulations mentioned by the Deputy Minister. We wish great strength to the elbows of the department.
There is much criticism out there of this ANC-led Government, and much praise, praise for the way in which we have formulated plans, strategies and White Papers. Here we have the best minds in the world, creative thinkers, people experienced in the ways of the world. The question and problem we are now faced with in the second five years of government is simply how to implement these wonderful plans. The critics are waiting for us to fail, but they will wait in vain.
The Gauteng provincial government is committed to implementing the national waste management strategy in order to make a decisive difference to the lives of ordinary people in our province. People should not have to live near rubbish heaps where they are exposed to the effluent of mining and industrial operations. We see the enforcement of environmental protection regulations as a prime priority of the province. We are aware of who the polluters are and are determined to make them pay for the disaster they are creating. With regard to medical waste, which is a major problem when children playing in the vicinity of household rubbish dumps are found with used syringes and other immensely dangerous medical waste, the Gauteng provincial government has embarked on a process of education and consultation which will arrive at a sustainable medical waste management system. We are confident that the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism will take the role as lead agent on pollution management with dedication and verve, and will co-ordinate other departments in the drive for a clean and safe world for ourselves, our children and grandchildren.
When it comes to tourism, we are proud to acknowledge that the Gauteng Tourism Authority, established in terms of our provincial legislation, has been launched. Recently passed regulations will allow for the registration and levying of all accommodation facilities, and an estimated R2,5 million will be raised. We are well on track with sophisticated computer software to undertake the registration and marketing of all tourism facilities, from the lowliest community tourist guide to the largest hotel.
We acknowledge that Gauteng does not have the oceans, mountains and major wilderness areas of other provinces. So we see ourselves as a conference and convention destination, with opportunities for emerging operators in day tours to interesting places. Soweto, for instance, is the 10th most visited destination in South Africa. Also, tourists are interested in our struggle for liberation, and places of interest such as Alexandra township, where ex-President Mandela stayed when he first came to Johannesburg, and the homes of the likes of Alfred Nzo, Wally Serote and many others from our liberation struggle whose roots are in Alexandra, will become part of our tourist product. We also boast, as has been mentioned, a World Heritage site known as the Cradle of Humankind.
However, before Alexandra and other townships and, indeed, the country as a whole can become a serious mass tourist destination, there is much that must be cleaned up. I refer not only to waste management and plastic bags, which are the challenges I have already mentioned, but also to tourism safety, to be achieved in conjunction with the SA Police Service and, more importantly, the challenge of beginning to turn around the perceptions which people hold about South Africa, and Gauteng in particular, as a dangerous place to come to. Gauteng is no more dangerous than London, Rome or New York for tourists.
The price of the rand in relation to the dollar and the pound sterling certainly makes our country an attractive destination, even for budget tourists and backpackers. However, we do call on the private sector to avoid the temptation of greed, and to set their prices at a level which is also accessible for local tourists, and, hence, encourage the overall growth of the industry. What we and Government need to do now is to create an industry that is coherent, service-oriented, clean and bright. [Applause.]
Chairperson, I have to say to the Minister that I have been highly impressed, and I hope he has too, by the high standard of speeches that we have heard here today. It really encourages one for the future. I want to say to the Minister that we too wish to be responsible and wise custodians of our God-given environment. We wish to promote policy that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet those needs, that is, the principle of sustainability.
We need not only a vision that is shared and pursued by all inhabitants of all the provinces, but also a vision which is understood and supported at every level of society. How do we achieve these lofty goals? Unless ordinary people buy into the lofty intentions we have, there is not going to be sustainable environmental protection. We feel the shortcoming on the development agenda is that we are dealing with functional and physical considerations only, and that we are ignoring too much in a real sense the norms, values and ethics which should underpin and uphold our environment.
Having identified and agreed on these norms, values and ethical standards where possible, we need to link them to the Constitution. Two of these values are democratic representivity and the inclusion of the individual, the community and the local area in the planning process and sustainability. Through effective communication and education, we need to disseminate those shared norms and values to the whole nation so that everybody can identify with them, because if they do not seek to do that and feel that these things have no meaning, value or relevance to them, they will become alienated and the environment will become an object of envy. Finally, the public benefit of good environmental management needs to be understood by everybody, the public and the Government alike. Tourism is a wonderful thing, but if it is to be promoted and encouraged - and I congratulate the Minister on what he is doing in outsourcing and privatising as these are wonderful things - we cannot have a new apartheid between hard-currency visitors, who come to wonder at our pristine and natural areas, and those of us in our own country who are left out because they cannot afford access to that environment. I am echoing what several of our colleagues, such as Ms Metcalf and others, have said.
We, all of us, must not become commercially excluded in our own country. A balance has to be struck and access ensured for all South Africans. Access is absolutely vital. We also need to find together those norms, values and ethics that should underlie our wish to preserve and conserve our environment for all our people. So we need to identify with what we find - the norms and values that we find together - to communicate, to educate, and finally, to experience our environment, and understand and feel the benefits of the wild stewardship that the God-given environment brings.
Finally, may I say to the Minister - and I do not want to be flippant about this - that if he and his colleagues can halve the crime rate, they will double the tourism intake in this country. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Minister, hon MECs, hon members and special delegates, section 24 of the Constitution guarantees that everyone has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing; and also to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that prevent pollution and ecological degradation, promote conservation, and secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development.
The benefit of environmental conservation of our natural resources, trees being one of them, is invaluable. The value of trees is often underestimated. Apart form the fact that trees supply our timber and fire wood needs, trees enrich our environment, therefore they need to be conserved.
The progress in industrial development is degrading the quality of life, and the productive capacity of the environment will soon run into bankruptcy. Humanity needs a sense of kinship between people and nature, and there is a moral responsibility to protect the environment from abuse. Economically speaking, we need to utilise our tree resources on a sustainable basis on the one hand. On the other hand, there is a social and moral decay that is crippling.
Although preserving trees is important because of their economic value, their ecological value is not always fully appreciated. Trees release an enormous amount of oxygen which is responsible for our human survival. The leaves of trees filter dust from the air, thus creating a healthy environment. The careless neglect and destruction of trees may result in an as yet unknown risk or damage to the quality of human life. Their photosynthesis properties benefit not only humans, but animals, birds and insects. Fruits and nuts borne by the trees provide food for these species, while flowers produce nectar and pollen, from which bees make honey. This preserves animal species by providing not only food but a habitat as well.
Within and enclosed in the crown of a tree, a beneficial microclimate is created where birds and insects are protected from the extremes of weather and climate. These micro-organisms, such as insects, also need to be protected. They are just as important to human welfare as the black rhino, and also play an important role in the ecosystem. The issue is not that we should preserve certain species like the rhino, the issue is that we should preserve life-giving ecosystems and, in this sense, a rhino is not more important than a bird or an insect.
Soil erosion is another problem that threatens our environment. Every year millions of tons of soil are washed or blown away from the farmlands of South Africa. With the world population doubling every 40 years soil will become an even more crucial resource for the provision of food and homes. As pressure on soil resources increases it becomes vitally important that the existing resources are correctly and efficiently used.
The best soil is completely exposed to rain drops and the scouring of running water. Soil cover intercepts this energy and dissipates it before it reaches the ground. Old tree leaves which fall to the ground protect the soil from erosion, and provide cover and food for many small animals and insects. The humus improves the texture and fertility of the soil, stores moisture and makes it easier for water to enter the soil. The roots of trees can help to hold the soil together, thus reducing erosion. Roots penetrate deeply into the soil and the underlying rock, opening channels for air and water and also promoting the formation of new soil.
The effects of erosion are long-lasting and more serious than is often imagined. The removal of topsoil leaves behind the less productive subsoil layers. Soil nutrients are washed away and this results in reduced and low- quality yields. Eroded soil may contain pesticides which can pollute streams and smother estuarine and lake ecosystems. The washed-away sediment settles in dams and lakes, thus reducing their capacity to carry water, resulting in flooding.
Trees also act as windbreaks, thus reducing the effects of wind erosion and damage. We therefore need an increasing awareness of the enormity of the effects of wind and water erosion. We must also become aware that the purpose of conservation is the protection of resources to serve humanity. Although a resource is not always directly measurable in monetary terms, its function does, however, possess a particular value in an ecosystem. A sustainable tourist industry is measured through its conservation of the environment.
In conclusion, we must instil in the minds and hearts of people that conservation is not something that is carried out by the Government in a nature reserve, for example, but can happen in our back yards. [Time expired] [Applause.]
Chairperson, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who participated in this debate. It is quite clear that a tremendous amount of preparation has gone into this debate, and I really enjoyed listening to everybody. I think that there was quite a lot for all of us to learn. I have taken note very carefully of the comments that everybody has made. May I assure you, Chairperson, that we will sift through the large number of suggestions that have been made in the debate here and all of them will receive our serious attention.
As I do not want to keep members from their lunch I will not respond to every detail of what many of the speakers have said. However, because of the time I should perhaps just then say to the Chairperson that we have received very good co-operation generally from the select committee under the leadership of Rev Moatshe. I would like to use this opportunity to express my appreciation for the manner in which we have worked together, and for the support that he has given both the Ministry and the department. I hope that we will continue along these lines for the rest of the year. [Applause.]
I want to use this opportunity to express my gratitude for and give my congratulations to the Northern Cape province, particularly the people of Douglas, on having taken their own initiative to stop the use of plastic bags in their town. That is an initiative that they have taken on their own. Nobody has given them the funding to do it. They did not ask anybody for permission to do it. The community, on their own, decided to do this, and I think it sets a wonderful example for the rest of South Africa. [Applause.] I hope that we will be able to use that as a way of challenging towns and cities and the rest of the country to follow the same example. The only final point then which I would like to make is that a number of people have spoken about the need for us to mainstream the environment and environmental issues in this country. Members will know that much of what we do, much of the philosophy and the direction that we follow on environmental questions flow out of Agenda 21, which really is the product of the Earth Summit which was held in Rio in 1992. It was only after the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio that a range of international protocols were entered into. Members will know, for example, that recently negotiations around a biosafety protocol, which regulates GMOs and other sorts of things, were concluded successfully. The Rio Earth Summit really produced what was a comprehensive agenda for the global community to follow on environmental questions, such as CSD questions related to climate change and global warming, matters related to local governance - all of those things.
The next earth summit, referred to loosely as ``Rio plus 10'', takes place in 2002, which is 10 years from the Rio summit, and is convened by the United Nations itself, as members know. The United Nations General Assembly will take a decision pretty soon on where that earth summit is to be held. I thought we should use this opportunity to inform Parliament that Cabinet has decided that South Africa will make itself available to host ``Rio plus 10'', in other words, the next earth summit. [Applause.]
We are reasonably confident that we will be chosen as the venue for a whole range of reasons, which I am not going to go into here. Many countries around the world have indicated that in their view we would be the ideal host for the earth summit.
The magnitude and significance of that summit are difficult to actually go into in a few minutes. However, one can expect that it will be attended by scores of heads of state, that it will be attended by literally tens of thousands of delegates from around the world, and that there will be a string of satellite summits of all sorts that will be associated with that summit. When we get to know, in a month or two, whether we will be hosting it, we would like to involve Parliament, the provinces and, in particularly, local governments in a massive effort to ensure not only that South Africa is used as a venue, but that the mere fact of the earth summit being held here leaves a lasting impact on South Africa and on environmental questions in this country, in the region and certainly in Africa also. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
Business suspended at 13:30 and resumed at 14:34.